I don’t like the way child protective services (CPS) handled my case. What can I do?

Families involved with the child protection system may experience challenges at any point in their interaction with an agency and disagree with the course of action and/or findings of the investigation. However, there are steps parents or other caregivers can take to express and resolve their concerns. If you have questions about the way child protective services handled your case, first discuss the matter with your caseworker and the agency supervisor. An open discussion will often help answer your questions and clarify future steps.

If you have made every effort to resolve your concerns and feel that your grievance has not been adequately addressed, you may want to inquire about the agency's appeal procedure or take your complaint to a higher state authority.

Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children's Bureau, provides a state-by-state listing of state contacts and related organizations , including child welfare complaint offices.

A general overview of the steps that parents and other caregivers can take to achieve a positive outcome with a service provider is available in Information Gateway's From Complaint to Resolution: Understanding the Child Welfare Grievance Process .

More information in a question-and-answer format is available in the Information Gateway publication Reunification: Bringing Your Children Home From Foster Care .

The American Bar Association provides state-specific, parent-friendly guides that outline the rights and responsibilities of parents while their children are out of the home.